NBA: 76ers stymie Celtics to force Game 7

May 23, 2012

Photo: Drew Hallowell

After Brandon Bass, center, scored 27 points in the Celtics' Game 5 victory, he received extra attention from the likes of Thaddeus Young, left, and Lavoy Allen and was held to eight points on 2-of-12 shooting.

After Brandon Bass, center, scored 27 points in the Celtics' Game 5...

PHILADELPHIA - Jrue Holiday scored 20 points, and Elton Brand had 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead the tough-and-determined Philadelphia 76ers past the Celtics 82-75 on Wednesday night to send the Eastern Conference semifinals back to Boston for Game 7.

No team has won consecutive games in a series in which neither team has played well enough to seize control.

Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo could be playing their last game together Saturday night if they can't find a way to hang on to the ball and put away a Sixers team that won't quit.

Former 76ers All-Star Allen Iverson earned a roaring standing ovation when he presented the game ball. By the end, the fans were on their feet for Holiday, Brand and Andre Iguodala for keeping the eighth-seeded Sixers alive for at least one more game.

The Celtics posted ugly numbers across the board. Blame the loss on the 33 percent shooting, the 17 turnovers or the 3-for-14 3-point shooting. Either way, there's enough to go around.

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Pierce had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Garnett had 20 points and 11 boards.

The Sixers again failed to put up the sparkling box score numbers usually required for a deep postseason run. They missed eight of nine 3s, shot a woeful 17-of-28 from the free-throw line, and had 12 turnovers.

League suspends Haslem, Pittman

Udonis Haslem insists he meant no harm. The NBA deemed otherwise, and the Miami Heat will be without one of their co-captains when they try to close out the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.

Haslem was suspended for Game 6 of the Miami-Indiana Eastern Conference semifinal series, a matchup that saw emotions boil over in a runaway Heat victory on Tuesday. The NBA also said Miami reserve center Dexter Pittman will miss three games in response to his flagrant foul against Indiana backup guard Lance Stephenson in the final seconds of Game 5.

Indiana's Tyler Hansbrough was not suspended, although the league upgraded his foul against Miami's Dwyane Wade to a flagrant-2 on Wednesday - which, if called that way during Game 5, would have brought an automatic ejection.

"It's very disappointing, obviously," Miami forward Shane Battier said. "But we're a resilient group. ... The verdict process is a mystery to players, and so we don't get caught up in it."

James heads all-defensive unit

NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James was the leading vote-getter for the league's all-defensive squad, while Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler didn't even crack the first team.

Confused? The answer is because the voting is done by different parties. A media panel voted for Defensive Player of the Year, while the all-defensive team vote was conducted by the league's 30 head coaches, who voted for a first and second team by position and were not allowed to pick their own players.

They favored Orlando's Dwight Howard, the NBA's leading rebounder and its top defensive player three straight years before Chandler, as their center.

Also on the first team were Thunder forward Serge Ibaka, who led the league in blocks and was runner-up to Chandler for Defensive Player of the Year; Clippers guard Chris Paul, the league leader in steals; and Grizzlies guard Tony Allen.

Ibaka and Allen earned first-team honors for the first time.

Joining Chandler on the second team were Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett of the Celtics, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and Chicago forward Luol Deng.